PPOA Secures Freeway Sign to Honor Fallen Deputy

September 21, 2018

Deputy Didier Hurdle

Deputy Didier “Dee” Hurdle was shot and killed on November 25, 1977, in the Willowbrook area of Los Angeles when he and a cadet trainee stopped a car containing suspected gang members. As one of the suspects exited the vehicle, he opened fire, wounding the cadet in the leg and shoulder. Deputy Hurdle, although wearing a ballistic vest, was shot in the shoulder, and the bullet deflected downward into his chest, causing his death.

Deputy Hurdle was only 36 years old at the time of his passing, and he had served eight years, six months and 10 days since his appointment as a deputy sheriff on May 15, 1969.

Mary Hurdle, widow of Deputy Didier Hurdle, and her two sons receive a memorial plaque from Sheriff Peter Pitchess. Mary, who had been a deputy prior to becoming a stay-at-home parent to care for her growing family, rejoined the Department in 1984 and eventually served as a peer counselor, offering assistance to families of deputies killed in the line of duty.

Retired LASD Sergeant Bob Ouellette has been working for years without success to get a freeway sign honoring Deputy Hurdle. In October 2017, Bob reached out to PPOA President Brian Moriguchi asking for help. “I am in awe of the tenacity of Bob to fight for recognition of his fallen comrade for such a long time,” Moriguchi said. “We had just successfully lobbied for a freeway sign for Sergeant Steve Owen. I was confident we could do the same for Dee Hurdle, even though his death occurred decades earlier.”

PPOA lobbyist John Lovell successfully found state legislators willing to advocate on our behalf. Assemblymember Mike Gipson and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon agreed to champion this effort. “We are deeply thankful to these legislators for their leadership,” Lovell said. “Every officer killed in the line of duty deserves to be recognized — no matter how long ago it occurred.”

PPOA will pay for the cost of the freeway sign and work collectively with Bob Ouellette, the Hurdle family and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for the freeway sign dedication ceremony.